Strip-serving device



C. G. IVIOHTIMER.

STRIP SERVING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED IAN. I?. I9I4. ,RENEwED ocT. 30. 1920.

C. G. IVIORTIIVIER.

STRIP SERVING DEVICE.

APPLlcATloN FILED 1AN.17. 1914. RENEWED 0cT.30,192o.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2- Patented July I2 .C.G. IVIORTIIVIER.

STRIP SERVING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED IAN-17,1914. mmm

RENEWED OC T. 30. 1920.

UNTTEE STATES PATENT @EEHEEO CHARLES GREENOUGI-I MORTIMER, OF EAST ORANGE, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR T0 NATIONAL BINDING MACHINE COMPANY, 0F NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORA- TION OF NEW YORK.

reseesi.

Application filed January 17, 1914, Serial No. 812,692.

To all 1e/:01net may concern Be it known that l, CHAnLns (nnnNoUGH Moirrinnn, a citizen of the United States of America. and a resident of East Orange, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented an Improvement in Strip- Serving Devices, of which the following description, in connectitm with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like characters on the drawings representing like parts.

The present invention has to do with ilnprovemeuts in apparatus for preparing and serving strips of tape to be applied to packages. boxes and the like. The object is to provide an apparatus whereby the tape may be in prime adhesive condition immediately upon delivery from the machine. It has been found in practice that, with the use of gummed tape which is subsequently passed through a machine for moistening and serving, the adhesiveness of the remoistened gum or glue is very often imperfect, due either to an improper amount of water being supplied to the surface thereof or to the fact that insufficient time is allowed for the glue and water to combine. h'loreover it is difiicultl to produce and apply a glue which will universally remoisten to a proper degree of stickiness and at the same time. normally remain hard enough to avoid adhesion in the. roll under varying conditions of humidity and temperature.

To overcome the difficulties outlined above, l have invented an apparatus whereby irrespective of climate, gummed or ungummed tape may be converted into adhesive strips having the exact degree of stickiness necessary for the particular use to which they are to be applied. rl`his result may be obtained in the case of previously gummed tape by moistening the same freely and then tempering the moistened surface to the proper degree of stickiness. In the case of ungummed tape. a-n adhesive may be applied in liquid form and then. tempered to the desired degree. The invention therefore, contemplates an apparatus in which a supply of tape is reduced to strips which are served suc.

cessively from the machine in prime condition to adhere firmly to any given article or substance. I have illustrated an embodiment of my invention in the accompanying drawingsin which, v I

Figure l is a side elevation with a part in section and with parts broken awa7 to Show.

Specification of Letters Patent.

STRIP-SERVING DEVICE.

Patented July 12, 1921i.

Renewed Qctober 30, 1920. Serial No. 420,851.

the interior of the tempering` member and means for heating the glue or other adhesive.

Fig. 2 is a. detail illustrating the construction of the upper moistening roller.

Figs. 3, 4, and 5 are detailed views showing the mechanism for controlling the moistening and drying feed rollers.

Fig. 6 is a detail illustrating the arrangement and construction of the rollers in the drying member, and,

Figs. 7, 8, and 9 show details of the mechanism for feeding and cutting strips of tape of predetermined length.

Referring to the drawings, A represents any suitable automatic tape feeding and cutting mechanism wherein the strip serving and cutting means may be actuated from a common shaft rotating continuously inA one direction. B represents a moistening device or means for applying an adhesive and C' constitutes a drying member wherein the moistened or gummed strip may be telnpered or partially dried so as to be in prime condition for affixing to a package or the like. In order that the feeding rolls of the three members A, B, and C may operate in proper coordination, suitable mechanism is provided to connect these three members and to synchronize the feed rolls thereof.

vIt may also be desirable under some conditions, to operate continuously the feeding mechanism of member C or of B and (l while the feeding mechanism of A remains at rest.

As shown in the drawings, a driving shaft 1 is suitably journaled in the. member A and operatively connected with the tape feeding and tape cutting mechanism thereof in any suitable manner. In the present embodiment of the invention, a feeding roll 5G mounted upon a shaft 57 is actuated by means of a gear 58 upon the shaft 1, which meshes with an intermediate gear 5S) to drive in Apinion 6() also on the shaft 5T. The feeding roll has a cooperating presser roll G1 suitably journaled in the casing and connected with the Shaft l through the gears which are so arranged that the two rolls may have uniform movement. The roll (Slis held yieldingly against the companion feeding roll 5G by a spring or other suitable device 62. A pair of guide rolls 63 and ('54 are positioned between the feeding rolls and the tape supply, of which the web G5 passes under, be-

tween and over the guide rolls to the feed rolls 56 and 61.

Tn advance of the feeding rolls, there is :located a stationary blade 66 under which the web of tape passes as it is fed forward by the said rolls. A coperatingblade 67 suitably pivoted at 68 is actuated vby a cam 69 secured to a shaft 69a suitably mounted in the framework of the member A. Tn order that the shaft 69a may rotate continuously and at the same rate as the main shaft 1, it is operatively connected therewith through suitable gearing, consisting of a gear 92 fixed on the shaft 1, a pinion 93 fixed on the shaft 69a, and an intermediate gear 94. The stroke of the coperating blade is coincident with the pause of the feeding aC-,

tion hereinafter described and is made against tension of the spring 7 0 which causes the blade to return to normal position immediately upon being disengaged from the cam 69. The severed strip then continues to cross over a. moistening roll 38 located adjacent to the cutting mechanism and arranged to rotate in a tank 37 as hereinafter described so as to synchronize the forward movement of tape through the feeding rolls and over the moistening roll.

At the side of the casing of the member VA opposite the main pulley, are extended casings 71 and 72 which serve to inclose' working parts of the strip feeding and cutting mechanism. The casing 71 may be provided on its outer face with a dial 7 3 (Fig. 9) and on its peripheral surface with stop openings 74, which dial and stop openings, in conjunction with an indicator arm 75 having a pointer 76 and a spring presser plug 77, not only indicate the length of the tape which will be fed from the machine, but, in connection with a pawl mechanism, actually determine the same. A/pawl arm 78 is fastened upon the main shaft 1 and adapted to engage a ratchet 7 9l mounted upon a sleeve 80, also carrying the main gear 58 and loosely mounted on the shaft 1. This engagement is effectedv through the agency ofva cam pawl 81 pivoted to the arm 78 and provided with a cam member 82, but it may be moved and released from the ratchet 79 whenever the cam 82 passes anadjustable trip consisting of a member 88 which projects through a slotted opening 84 in the casing and is adapted to be fastened in any desired position of adjustment along the said opening by means of a nut 85. In operation the pawl 81 is thrown out of engagementwith the ratchet 79 by means of this trip thereby stopping the feeding action of the said rolls and of the parts for handling the strip of tape. A spring 86 normally tends to hold the pawl 81 in engagement with the ratchet 79 and, in order to secure positive contact between the two latter, the end of the pawl is preferably made with two points t0 conform to the shape o-f the teeth. of the ratchet. Arranged upon the upper surface of the pawl 81 is a detent 87 which, when the cam portion is depressed by the trip 83, is engaged by a trigger 88 pivoted to the arm 78 at '89 and having an offset pawl 90 arranged in a plane so as to be engaged by the spring plug 77 which, yas previously pointed out, may be adjusted to project through any of the several openings 74 cor responding to the markings on the dial 73. Thus when the central shaftis rotated, the pawl 81 remains in engagement with the ratchet 79 thereby transmitting a feeding movement to the roll 56 until the cam 82 is depressed by the trip 88. Thereupon the end of the trigger member 88, actuated by a spring 91, drops into the detent 87 and holds n the pawl 81 out of engagement with the ratchet until the offset pawl member 90 engages the spring pressed plug 77 thus releasing the pawl 81 so that it may rengage the ratchet 79. From the foregoing, it will be seen that a complete cycle of operation is effected upon each complete rotation of the mainshaft to which powerl is imparted through a pulley 2.

I have also provided mechanism whereby the feeding function of the moistening device B may be suspended during the operation of severing the tape. and a disk 4 having slots 5 are fixed to the shaft 1. A coperating disk 6 loosely mounted upon the said shaft adjacent to the first mentioned disk, is provided with a headed pin 7 passing through a perforation near its periphery and in such a position as to readily engage a slot in thejdisk 4 when the main shaft shall rotate continuously and that the gears and disks 6 hereinabove described shall be set in operation whenever the pin and slot connection is made with the main shaft. To control this mechanism a lever arm 13 is pivoted at a point adjacent to the periphery of the disk 6. A wedge shaped projection 14 is mounted uponthe said lever arm in the path ofthe head of the pin 7 which is held normally in spring pressed engagement with the side of the disk 6. In operation, the flange of the headed pin engages the narrow end of the wedge 14, as the disk 6 rotates, and the pin is thereby forced out of engagement with one of the slots 5. This serves to disconnect the disk 6 and its corresponding gear 8 from operation by the main shaft. The wedge 14 becomes operative only when the notch 15 in the disk 12 engages a corresponding projection 16 on the lever 13.

A shaft 24 journaled at 17 and 17a carries at one end a. beveled gear 18 which meshes with the beveled gear 3 mounted onthe main shaft 1. At the other end is a pulley 19 fixed to a. sleeve 26 which is loosely mounted on said shaft and connected by means of a belt 20 toanother pulley 21 fixed to a shaft 22 which carries the roll 23 of the moistening mechanism of member B. This shaft and pulley connection is designed to normally connect the roller 23, and by means of suitable earing, the feeding rolls of the member C, with the main shaft 1. Under normal conditions it is desirable that all of the feeding rolls remain inert during the severing operation. To this end the shaft 24 is provided carrying a slidable sleeve 25 which rotates with the said shaft but is adapted to be slid back and forth thereon. The adjacent faces of the above mentioned sleeves 25 and 26 are serrated to form a clutch connection between the two. The sleeve 25 is further provided with a peripheral groove 27 in which a yoke 28 is adapted to engage the latter forming the upper extremity of a rocker arm 29. The latter is suitably journaled in the frame work of the member B so that its lower extremity may normally rest in the path of the cam 30 mounted on the periphery of the cam disk 11. A spring 31 bearing against an end of the sleeve 25 holds the same normally in engagement with the coperating sleeve 26 to operate the feed rolls of the members B and C. This condition obtains when the lever 13 is in the position shown in Fig. 3; but when the lever is pressed downwardly, the projection 16 is disengaged from the notch 15 and the cam disk 11 is permitted to rotate so that the cam 30 will periodically engage the extremity 32 of the lever arm 29 thereby momentarily disconnectingthe feeding rolls of members B and C from action of the driving shaft 1. This is the normal condition of operation and may be made continuous by providing a suitable device for holding the lever -arm 13 in its lowermost position so that the projection 16 will. not engage the notch 15. This may be done by means of aI treadle as 33 which is connected to the lever arm by means of a rod 34 the said treadle being adapted to be pushed downwardly against pressure of a spring 35 and to be held in this lower position by means of a suitable latch 36. A

The member B comprises a tank 37 adapted to contain either an adhesive substance or water, a roller 38 mounted to rotate in the said medium and to carry up with it upon its surface a layer sufficient to provide the strip of tape with a coating of glue or, iu case the tape is already gummed, to moisten the gum thereon.. This roll is positively actuated by connection with the main driving shaft heretofore described. A coperating roll 39 mounted above the last mentioned roll is provided with peripheral projections 40 which press against the tape as it passes between the two and present a minimum of surface for the collection ofy glue which, in sufficient quantities, would interfere with operation of the machine. A guard or stripper 41 may be positioned adjacent. to the rolls to prevent the tape from curling upwardly and further to lguide the strip toward the opening 42 in the member C. A plurality of narrow guide members 43 may also be mounted adjacent to the feeding roll to prevent the tape from curling downwardly. Where ungummed paper is used in the present apparatus, it is necessary to apply ay coat ofl adhesive which may be supplied from thetank 37. This should preferably be kept at a warm temperature, for which purpose I provide a coil of steam pipes 44 underneath the tank 37, although it is. obvious that other means mayv be used with similar effect. l

lVhen the tape has acquired a coat of glue on one of its surfaces, it is fed into the member C in'order that the moist glue may be tempered to the proper degree of stickincss by reducing somewhat the percentage of' moisture which it contains. The member comprises a hollow chamber provided with feed rolls which carry the. strip through the chamber and heating means such as a coil of steam pipes for drying the glue. The feeding rolls 45 are actuated by means of a gear connection 46 between the latter and the driving` gear of the member B. An opening 47 is provided in the upper portion of the chamber 48 for the purpose of regnlating the temperature therein and the current' of heated air passing through the chamber may be regulated by means of a damper, as 49, or by a blower adapted to inject a column of air into the chamber through suitable openings. The feed rolls 45 are also provided with peripheral projections 50 whichv impinge against the gummed surface of the tape as it passes through the tempering chamber without however adhering thereto. Copcrating with these rolls 45 are ordinary flat rolls 5l adapted to be held in yielding engagement with the feed rolls to provide positive gripping means for feeding the tape. In order that the projections 50 of the feed rolls 45 may not become clogged with glue, suitable scraping members 52 are positioned so as to engage the edges thus removing whatever glue may have adhered thereto. Adjacent to each feeding roll is a plurality of gratelike members 53 just below the normal path of the tape to prevent the same from bending downwardly in its course through the tempering chamber` It will' of course be advantageous to provide the tempering chamber with a suitable nonconductive covering for the purpose of 'conserving the heat therein. Where steam is used a safety vent 54E may be provided and a stop cock 55 may be used to draw off condensed steam when the pipes have been permitted to cool. It is conceivable that many devices may be substituted to accomplish the mechanical effects produced in the present apparatus ,without, however, departing from the essence of theinvention hereinabove disclosed and which I conceive to be an apparatus having a tempering member so related to means for severing and gumming strip of tape as to produce any desired condition of stickiness or adhesiveness on the said strip suitable for immediate application to the sealing of a package or the like,

I claim as my invention:

'1. In a strip serving apparatus, thecombination with means for supporting a roll of tape, of means adapted to feed the tape and to sever the tape automatically into strips of predetermined length, means for conveyingthe successive severed strips automatically from said severing device, means to render adhesive one side of the severed strips, and means for absorbing mo1sture from the adhesive material .on said -severed strips whereby said strips may be in prime condition for immediate application to a boX, package or the like. 2. In a strip serving apparatus, the combination of means for supporting a supply of tape, means for cutting the same into strips' of predetermined length, means for making the severed stripsadhes'ive on one side and means for partially drying the adhesive severed strips, consisting of a receptacle adapted to be heated and having means for. drawing in and discharging the severed strips in prime condition for immediate application to a boX, package or the like.

3. In a strip serving apparatus, the combination of means for supporting a supply of tape, means for severing strips of predetermined length therefrom, means for applying an adhesive solution of gum or glue on the said strips, and means for tem ering the gum or glue thereon to a prime ad esive condition, or immediate application to a boX, package or the like, the gumming means being located between the severing means and the gum tempering means.

4. In a strip serving apparatus, the combination of means for supporting a supply of ungummed tape, means for detaching strips of predetermined length therefrom, means for applying an adhesive substance to one side of the detached strips, a hollow chamber having an opening adjacent to the last named means, a plurality of rolls adapted to engage the detached gummed strip and convey it through and out of the said chamber, and means for heating the chamber.

5. In a strip serving apparatus, the combination of means for supporting a supply of ungummed tape, means for detaching strips therefrom, means for applying an adhesive substance to one side of the detached strips, a chamber fitted with coperating rolls adapted to engage the detached gummed strips and convey them through the said chamber, the said rolls being arranged vertically in pairs, the rollin each pair adjacent to the gummed surface being corrugated, means adapted to scrape the corrugated rolls, means for heating the chamber, and means for regulating the heat in the chamber.

6. In a strip serving apparatus, the combination of means for supporting a supply of tape, strip feeding means, means for severing said strips 'from the supply, means for gumming the severed strips, means for tempering the gum on said severed strips, and means operatively connected with the strip severing means to actuate t-he feeding means intermittently. i

7. In a Strip serving apparatus, the combination of means for supporting a supply of tape, means for automatically detaching strips therefrom, means for gumming` the said detached strips, and means for subjecting the gummed surface of the said detached strips to a current of heated air whereby the strips may be in proper adhesive condition for immediate application to a box, packageor the like.

8. In a strip serving apparatus,the combination of means for supporting a supply of tape, means for feeding said tape from the supply, strip severing means, means for ren.- dering the severed strips adhesive, meansfor tempering the gum on said severed adhesive strips, and means whereby the tape feeding means may be thrown into and o ut of operation independently of the severing, mo1stening, and tempering means.

9. In a strip serving apparatus, the combination of means for supportinga supply of tape, strip feeding means, strip severing means, adhesive applying and adhesive tempering means operative intermittently with said strip severing means, means independent of said adhesiveapplying and adhesive tempering means for arresting operation of said feeding means, and means whereby the adhesive applying and adhesive tempering means may be operated continuously during the inoperative period of said strip feeding means to clear the apparatus of adhesive strips.

10. In a strip serving apparatus, the combination with means for supporting a roll of tape, ofmeans adapted to feed tape and `to sever the tape into strips of predeterside of the severed strip, an adhesive tempering chamber, means for advancing detached adhesive strips through said chamber, means therein for supporting said adhesive strips intermediate their ends While so advancing, means for presenting to the adhesive portion of said strips a current of adhesive tempering air, and means'for varying the effectiveness of said current.

l1. In a strip serving apparatus, the combination with means for supporting a roll of tape, or' means adapted to feed the tape and to sever the tape into strips of predetermined iength, means to render adhesive one side ot' the severed strips, an adhesive tempei-ing` chamber, means for applying heat' to said chamber, means for advancing the detached adhesive strips through said chamber, and means therein for supporting said strips intermediatev their ends While so advancing.

12. n a strip serving apparatus, the cornbination with means for supporting a roll of tape, of means adapted to feed the tape into successive strips, means to render adhesive one side of the strips, an adhesive tempering chamber,pmeans Jfor advancing adhesive strips through said chamber, means therein for supporting said adhesive strips intermediate their ends While so advanc-- ing, and means for presenting to the adhesive portion-of said strips a current of adhesive tempering air. v

13.` In a strip serving apparatus, the combination with means for supporting a roll of tape, of means adapted to feed tape in successive strips, means to render adhesive one side of the strips, an adhesive tempering chamber, means for advancing the adhesive strips through said chamber, means therein for supporting said adhesive strips intermediate their ends While so advancing, means for presenting to the adhesive portion of said strips a current of adhesive tempering air, and means for varying'the effectiveness of said current.

In testimony whereof, have signed ymy name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

'CHARLES @Ramones Momma.

Witnesses:

JOHN W. THOMPSON, CHARLES GREENOUGH MORTIMER, J r. 

